Description
Creamy, cheesy chicken topped with bacon and buttery cracker crunch, weeknight easy, restaurant fancy.
Ingredients
Chicken & Creamy Layer
- 1 ½ lb (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup (250 g) plain Greek yogurt (2 % or whole)
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup (110 g) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ½ cup cooked bacon, crumbled (about 4 slices)
- ½ cup sliced green onions (plus extra for garnish)
- ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds (or pecans)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce (optional)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Crunchy Topping
- 1 sleeve buttery crackers (≈ 30 Ritz-style), lightly crushed
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat & Prep
Heat oven to 375 °F / 190 °C. Lightly grease a 9 × 13 in (23 × 33 cm) baking dish.
- Blend the Creamy Mixture
In a bowl, whisk yogurt, mayonnaise, cheddar, bacon, green onions, almonds, garlic, hot sauce, salt, and pepper until combined. It should be thick and scoopable.
- Assemble
Lay chicken breasts in the dish. Spoon the yogurt-cheddar mix over the top, spreading to cover each piece.
- Add the Crunch
Stir the cracker crumbs with melted butter. Sprinkle evenly over the chicken.
- Bake
Bake 35–40 minutes (or until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165 °F / 75 °C and the topping is golden).
- Serve
Rest 5 minutes. Garnish with extra green onions and serve hot with a fresh salad or roasted veggies.
Notes
- Shortcut: Substitute 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken. Reduce bake time to about 25 minutes just until bubbly.
- Heat Bump: Add a pinch of cayenne or swap sharp cheddar for pepper jack.
- Nut-Free: Omit almonds and add 2 tablespoons extra cracker crumbs.
- Make-Ahead: Assemble up to the cracker step, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Add crumbs just before baking.
- Gluten-Free Version: Replace crackers with gluten-free butter crackers or crushed cornflakes.
- Prep Time: 12 min
- Cook Time: 38 min
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American Comfort
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ~250 g
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 760 mg
- Fat: 34 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Protein: 41 g
Keywords: neiman marcus chicken, creamy chicken casserole, crunchy cracker topping, easy baked chicken, weeknight comfort food